Safety stirrups are known in the art. The prior art safety stirrups are complicated, requiring complex mechanisms to operate. In the stirrups shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,276,819, Sklar; 1,314,992, Wallis; 1,323,549, Porter; 1,520,586, McCamis; 1,622,510, Hendriks; and 4,209,962, Forrest, the stirrup is constructed of at least two parts which pivot with respect to each other and are held together by a hook or a clip. The foot of a rider fits in the stirrup such that when the rider falls, the rider's foot engages a wire or other safety mechanism which releases a latch to permit the various parts of the stirrup to separate from each other, thus releasing the foot from the stirrup. In these stirrups, the rider's foot is released from the bottom of the stirrup.